During the spring, when No Good's song "Ballin' Boy" rang across East Halls, everyone in attendance at Beaver Field knew that Penn State third baseman Scott Gummo was coming to the plate.

The Ballin' Boy may not get to groove to his beat as he returns as the opposition, but don't be surprised if the cheers for the current Hudson Valley Renegades corner infielder are louder than those for any of the State College Spikes.

Assuming he is starting for the Renegades, Gummo will be the first Nittany Lion, former or present, to play ball at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park when the Renegades take on the Spikes this evening.

Gummo said that the honor of being the first Lion in the ballpark had not hit him, and it was not a factor in his joy in playing there later today.

"All I wanted to do was play one game on there," Gummo said. "Coach [Robbie] Wine wasn't sure if we'd get a chance to do that or not. It's awesome that I get to play there."

Gummo isn't the only one anxious for his return to State College. His mother Susan said that nearly everyone she talked to in her hometown of Tyrone, located 26 miles away from State College, expressed interest in coming to the game and making their presence felt.

"There will be signs," she said. "From what I gather there will be a lot of people coming to see him play.

"I'll tell you, it's been very exciting. This has been his dream all his life and he's finally getting to fulfill it. I'm very excited for him. As a parent, this is what you want."

Gummo's father John said he had received more than 100 ticket requests from close friends and relatives. He anticipated an increase of as much as 1,000 tickets during the course of the three-game series between the Renegades and Spikes.

Watching his son play professional baseball, John Gummo has been living through his son's shoes somewhat vicariously.

"It's probably a lifetime dream. It's something very few fathers get to experience. I wanted to play baseball, but I had injuries in both knees," Gummo's father said. "So seeing him do it is kinda special."

The focus for Gummo will be on baseball, but he still wants to show his teammates around the town and campus. For some of his new teammates, it will be their first trip ever to State College.

"Some of them don't even know that's where Penn State is from," Gummo said. "I told them I'd show them around and show 'em what it's all about. I wanna take them around and show them the whole campus, maybe take them swimming and maybe get their mind off of baseball a little bit."

Gummo signed with Tampa Bay Devil Rays' minor league organization on July 7, and has hit a modest .261 with two RBI but has been an on-base machine with a .452 on-base percentage.

Even though his patience has paid off, Gummo still has internal issues with the idea of plate discipline. While he'd like to leave the fans in State College with something special to remember, he said his approach at the plate wouldn't change.

"I don't like to walk, I like to hit. I get mad if I walk," Gummo said. "I'm not the speed demon on the team where I can steal every base. I like to drive the ball in the gap and get a double or something like that. It's no fun for me to walk."